Just in case anyone thinks this has turned into ‘Darren’s Insanity and Humour’ blog, here is a geeky plant post:
Lithops (‘Living Stones’).
I’m sure you have all seen these and maybe even grown them, though many people struggle to flower them (the flowers are either white or yellow – see below).
What I wanted to highlight in this post is their seed distribution mechanism which involves a startling amount of movement for a plant that seemingly never changes.
After pollination (they are not self-fertile so need another Lithops plant to supply pollen) the woody and tough protective seed capsule takes up to a year to ripen and is ready to shed seed at around the same time the plant produces the following years flowers. This is in late summer or autumn when the very arid habitat is most likely to receive rain to give the young seedlings a chance of surviving.
So – how does the plant ‘know’ to release the seeds at the optimum time? It uses the rain as a trigger.
The first raindrop landing on a capsule causes the top of the capsule to fold back and open rather like the eggs in Alien! Subsequent raindrops then wash the seeds from the capsule and water them into the surrounding soil.
This is clever enough in itself but some members of this family also have inner structures in the capsule that prevent all the seeds from being washed out at once – giving the plant another chance if the first lot to be released do not survive – often because the rains were too brief. Even then the story does not end – some species even have further seeds partially embedded in the capsule walls and these only get released when the capsule rots or is abraded by the wind – sometimes years after pollination.
The capsule opening takes only seconds – the two pictures below were taken only a minute apart before and after I splashed water on the plant.
Beautiful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Julie 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
😮😶😶😶
I’ve never , ever , seen , in , my whole life a strange plant as this. What the…..? Is it soft? Hard? Hairy? Can a finger make a cut ?
LikeLiked by 3 people
What a strange beauty. The seed distribution mechanism and the flowering of this plant are amazing. Thanks for explaining it to us. You’re a real GEM!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Really interesting and new to me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is pretty wild!!! Happy Thanksgiving to you & yours!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes Ditto I have never heard of this – the human brain plant! Stunning and bizarre!
LikeLiked by 2 people
pretty hard actually, especially the top. Cool to the touch too, just like a pebble. When not in flower they are very hard to see in the wild. The lines on the top are often actually transparent windows that allow light through to the photosynthetic cells beneath. A fingernail would make a cut but they are surprisingly tough.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. Takes one to know one Dominique 😉💕
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Beckie. Same to you and yours!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yep, bizarre is VERY like the human brain 😉😀
LikeLiked by 2 people
I will reply with something you once told me: Flattery will get you…. well, pretty much anywhere really. Sincerely a great read!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hello Darren!
Those are beautiful pictures. I actually have never seen one of these plants before! That’s very cool how they work.
Hope you are feeling better these days 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
That’s so cool. 😎. They just look like pretty rocks at first. Amazing. 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful pictures! Great post Darren!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Super D…this is super amazing! I need one, or two or ten! Granted, they probably don’t grow in zone 5! Hope all is well! How is the embroidering on the cape coming along! ?😉💚
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you for the description 😊 amazing plant !
LikeLiked by 1 person
😉😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Sophie. I am OK thanks. V tired as I have worked over 12 hours most days this week and the flooding in our area has made the commute long and unpleasant. I am so pleased it is friday! 😀 Been enjoying your posts on your trip to China.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Ellie. Looking at my plant collection as a whole it is clear to me that I have a thing for plants with weird adaptations to hostile environments. There is probably some deep seated psychological reason for this!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Mackenzie 😀!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Roda. They’d probably do ok in your hoop house! They need a cool and totally dry winter and will stand a few degrees of frost if dry. They need hardly any water even in growth and I will not water mine again now until June. Then they get watered only once or twice a month until october.
I have finished the logo but need to photograph it for you! I have the whole weekend to myself as Susan is staying with her sister specifically to give me some peace after I have had an exhausting week. So I hope to get the photos and lots of other things done.
LikeLiked by 1 person
These are really neat looking and I love the seed distribution. Like Roda, I wish they could grow in zone 5. Fantastic pictures 💞 Enjoy your weekend!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Lisa 💕
Hope you have a lovely weekend too 🙂
Dx
LikeLike
Very exciting!!! Enjoy your ME time!!💚
LikeLiked by 1 person
That sounds like a hectic week for you, Darren. Make sure to take some time to kick back and relax. Happy Friday and have a great weekend 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve never seen these before, I love them! They really do look like a brain!!
LikeLiked by 2 people
These are completely new to me! Wow, it seems like this might be on another planet 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love Lithops. I have one on my kitchen windowsill and ignore it for most of the year. It’s only in the fall when I notice the bloom that I think of watering it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
😅 Well, I think they’re wonderful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
So cool! Never seen anything like it before!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Sophie. Weekend good up to now 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderful aren’t they?😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I frequently wish I was, so why not the plants?😀😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exactly the right thing to do Linda. Yours are obviously happy if they flower. I know growers in the uk who only water Lithops four times per year. One a month from july to october. But then we have high humidity so little extra water is needed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds an interesting plant ✌✌
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a fascinating world we live in. I had no idea those flowered.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow these are sooo cool and I have never seen them. I’m fascinated by their look and have to see if they are available here. Thank you 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
They should be. Often lurking among cacti in the houseplant section of garden centres!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I will have to check for sure. They are so unique and I love them but might need some help with growing them. I tend to overwater 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
Have a look! I will help!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I surely need it, thank you
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fascinating!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Sarah!😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure! ☺
LikeLike
Great post. Nice to read about plants that are not down under.😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you 😄
LikeLiked by 1 person